Octo-Mom Fears Hospital Will Keep Kids

Hospital wants proof mom can care for her new children

Published Jul 16, 2009 at 6:59 PM

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"What she is telling me is that unless and until she has a better
living arrangement, that they are not likely to release the children to her," Dr. Phil McGraw told The Los Angeles Times.

Nadya Suleman fears hospital officials may not release her octuplets to her until she proves she can care for them, the Octo-mom told talk show host "Dr. Phil" McGraw in an interview to be broadcast today.

McGraw told the Los Angeles Times that Suleman called him, distressed after talking with Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center officials.

"What she is telling me is that unless and until she has a better living arrangement, that they are not likely to release the children to her," McGraw told The Times.

There was no immediate response to an NBC request for comment from Kaiser Permanente.

Jim Anderson, Kaiser Permanente Southern California's director of media relations, told The Times "any conversation that the mother may or may not have had on this topic are private and we cannot discuss them."

Octuplets Shown For First Time

"In general, mothers with multiple births who have babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are given advice and counsel about what they need to have in place to care for the children when they are discharged. There is a multi-disciplinary team that works with them in advance to offer advice and support."

Kaiser typically does not discharge babies from the neonatal intensive care unit until they are at least 35 weeks old, Vicki Bermudez, a regulatory policy specialist with the California Nurses Association and a neonatal intensive care unit nurse with the Kaiser hospital in Roseville, told The Times.